The Jack Eichel led Buffalo Sabres continue to struggle on the ice. This season marks the sixth season Eichel is suiting up for the blue and gold. So far this season is not proving to be any different from the previous five season for the Sabres. Unfortunately, it is proving to be a dismal start for Eichel as well with only one regulation goal in 17 games played and only 2 total. Although the pandemic has created many issues for several NHL clubs, including the Buffalo Sabres, this current version of the Sabres are still trying to overcome obstacles that were cemented in place prior to the NHL pandemic era.
Rumors have been circulating since early in Eichel’s NHL career that he is a bit of a prima donna. Difficult to work with and prone to focusing on his own game and needs but not those of his teammates. Now as the man with the C on his chest his day-to-day role has to evolve and mature but yet his growth as a leader and player in the NHL has been stunted. This could be the simple answer to what is really happening inside the Sabers locker room which translates to a mediocre product on the ice. Reality usually is so much more than surface deep.
Let’s make one thing clear. The opinion shared here is in no way questioning the character or ability of a player or person I have never met. The opinion is based on the fact that I am certain the professional hockey players that call themselves Buffalo Sabres want to compete and want to win. However, as is the case for many teams, they just cannot get out of their own way. Everyone is capable of having a bad day, a bad month or maybe even a bad year. But the Jack Eichel experience in Sabreland is on its sixth rough year.
So are the rumors of a trade real? Will a Sabre team without Eichel actually perform better? Is it possible there is a light at the end of the tunnel?
Well in most cases when the rumor mill churns out more and more information about a subject there tends to be truth behind the rumor. As of today The Athletic is reporting a possible negotiation between the Sabres and Bruins regarding the services of Jack Eichel. Is it for real? Only time will tell, but first glance at this deal makes some sense.
Jack Eichel is a Massachusetts native who also attended Boston University for a year and led the Terriers to a Frozen Four appearance. Additionally, Eichel won the Hobey Baker trophy that year which is the equivalent of the Heisman Trophy for college hockey. Sadly it is the last time Eichel experienced team success in his hockey career. Finally, if Eichel could pick a team to transition to it makes sense he would want to return to his home state and play for the Bruins. The real question for Sabres fans, what is the return side of a trade of this magnitude, besides shedding a ten million dollar contract and freeing up some spending cash for future players.
At only 24, Eichel still has plenty of great years left in the NHL and probably his greatest years are ahead of him. But in Buffalo it seems they are asking too much of Eichel. It is one thing to be a generational talent and play at an elite level most nights, but it is completely another thing to put a franchise and hopes of a city on one person. Only a few players come to mind with the ability to handle both of these heady tasks. No doubt these rare players are ultimate hall of famers and carry the cache of being in the discussion for best all time. Players like Orr, Gretzky, Lemieux, Roy, Crosby and Howe come to mind and unfortunately not Turgeon, Mogilny or Andreychuk. Of course these last three players, all former high draft picks of the Sabres, were great players but not in the same rarified air as the Orr, Gretzky and Lemieux.
It may be in the best interest of the Sabres organization to strike now while there is significant interest in obtaining a talent like Eichel. It may mean starting over, but it is better to bring a leaking ship to port and make repairs, then let it sink in the middle of the ocean and have nothing left of value. Eichel should fetch some heft in a trade and bring some much needed value to an organization searching for some. With players like Cozens, Mittelstadt, Lazar, Thompson, Olofsson and Dahlin there is a nucleus of a team already in place wanting to build their own identity.
This group of young players sprinkled with some talented veterans with leadership abilities could be exactly what the Buffalo Sabres organization needs. The Vegas Golden Knights have proven this theory with how successful they have been since entering the league only a few years ago. They have made the playoffs every year and have even made it to a cup final. Originally described as a team of cast offs no one wanted, they have utilized this moniker as fuel and continue to perform at a high level even after a coaching change. In Buffalo, it continues to be the same old story of who should we blame today. The coach, GM, players or ownership. This vicious cycle of in-fighting has to stop before the Sabres can move forward and become a contender again.
The Sabres can be a better team without Eichel because they are barely a team now. Secondly, the Vegas Knights have shown it takes a simple recipe to find success. With no real household names to account for, the Knights built a serious contender on four to five solid defensemen. A group of forwards committed to working hard and playing a unified defensive zone style but are not afraid to shoot and crash the net. Add a goalie who has experience and is capable of standing on his head once in a while. Voila, you got a winner in today’s NHL.
The constant changes of direction and so called rebuilding over the last decade has been difficult to stomach. Certainly causing some strife for a talent like Eichel. The Pegula’s cannot be pleased with the overall progress. They are the owners and it’s their money to spend how they see fit. But in WNY, a die-hard hockey town, it’s time for a new version of the Buffalo Sabres. The old argument of no one wants to come here that always got utilized during the down Bills years doesn’t hold water in this case. The NHL is still comprised of a large percentage of Canadians. Buffalo being on the border but offering better economics for Canadian players goes a long way to making the WNY market very attractive.
Nothing great has ever been built overnight, but Sabres fans are growing tired after 9 seasons of mediocrity and a 10th season shaping up to be another lost season. It is time for a radical change and it may start with repurposing a player making 10 million dollars a season.
So Mr. Eichel, the world is never exactly how one person sees it. In the case of an NHL franchise it takes a team of people committed to make a winner. If you do not wish to get out of your own way and lead this group of current Buffalo Sabres, then move on and let the healing begin so next season doesn’t look like this one.
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